THOSE WERE THE DAYS! (Competition Now Closed)

A new book penned by local author Chris Carmody relives the colourful history of Fremantle, its footballers and its wharfies in the 50s and 60s. Based on personal interviews with footy stars, coaches and wharfies including George Grljusich, John Todd, John Gerovich, Jack Sheedy, Wilson Onions, JJ Miller, Gerry Bahen and Ray Sorrell, Yesterday’s Heroes is an engaging trip down memory lane. Readers have the chance to win 1 of 6 copies, see the How to Enter details on this page.

Football has always been big in Fremantle. In the late 40s and early 50s, South Fremantle won six premierships in eight years, while East Fremantle were undefeated in 1946 and perennially in the finals. The Fremantle derbies generated huge hype and the rivalry between these two teams and their legions of supporters was legendary.

Back then the port was the beating heart of the Fremantle economy, which at its peak employed around 5000 people. There were wharfies, foremen, tally clerks, stevedoring firms, Port Authority staff, policemen, the pillage squad, gatekeepers, tug operators, ferry operators, mooring gangs, union officials, crane drivers and slipway workers.